Georgia stands up against unification of South and North Ossetia

A referendum in South Ossetia on the republic's accession to the Russian Federation is unacceptable, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said, TASS reports.

“Of course, all the talking about a referendum is unacceptable while the territory of Georgia is occupied. This occupation has not only a political but also a legal assessment,” he said.

On March 30, President of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov admitted that unification with North Ossetia could be possible provided that the partially recognized republic becomes part of Russia. According to him, South Ossetia could become part of Russia as an entity of the Federation. Afterwards, the authorities are going to initiate the procedure for the unification  of South Ossetia with its neighbor, North Ossetia.

According to Bibilov, South Ossetia's aspiration to become part of Russia is a strategic goal of the country. The authorities of the republic will take necessary measures, including a popular vote, in the near future to implement this initiative.

North Ossetia sets out support 

The head of North Ossetia, Menyailo, supported the possibility of unification with South Ossetia if the region joins Russia:

"The Ossetians in the South and North have never lost contact with each other. They never moved away from each other and remained a single nation with single culture, language, and traditions. In various historical periods, politicians made decisions that in one way or another changed the contours of administrative or state borders. But this has never affected the desire of the Ossetians to be a single whole, a single family. Actually, this is how we live: we work in Vladikavkaz, and our home is in Tskhinvali, on weekends we go there, or vice versa. In the south, there are graves of our ancestors, our architectural and cultural monuments, family towers... We are one people and have never been divided spiritually and mentally!"